Pet, Inc.

Pet, Inc.
Formerly	Helvetia Milk Condensing Co. (1885–1923); Pet Milk Co. (1923–1966);
Company type	Private
Industry	Dairy
Founded	1885; 139 years ago in Highland, Illinois
Founder	John Meÿenberg
Defunct	1995; 29 years ago
Fate	Acquired by Pillsbury, becoming a brand
Headquarters	St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Products	Evaporated milk
Parent	IC Industries (1978–1988); Whitman Corp. (1988-1991);
Subsidiaries	Hussmann Refrigerator (1966–1978); William Underwood Company (1982–1995);
Website	PET Milk; PET Dairy;

Pet, Inc. was an American company that was the first to commercially produce evaporated milk as a shelf-stable consumer product with its "PET Milk" brand.^[1] While evaporated milk was popular before refrigerators were common in homes, sales peaked in the 1950s and it is now a niche product used in baking and as a cooking ingredient.

PET anticipated this change and starting in the 1950s became a multi-brand food products conglomerate through a series of acquisitions. This gave it ownership of consumer brands like Old El Paso Mexican foods, Progresso soups, Whitman's chocolates, Underwood canned meats, and others. Pet was a subsidiary of multi-industry conglomerate IC Industries between 1978 and 1991 when it once again became independent.

Pet ceased independent operations in 1995 when it was acquired by the Pillsbury Company with "PET" becoming a Pillsbury brand.^[2] When Pillsbury was acquired by General Mills in 2001, the PET brand was sold to International Multifoods to avoid antitrust concerns. Multifoods in turn was acquired by J.M. Smucker in 2004 who spun off its US sweetened condensed and evaporated milk operations, including PET, as Eagle Family Foods Group in 2014.

The "PET" trademark is owned by Eagle who still produce the PET Milk brand of evaporated milk. Eagle also licenses the PET trademark to the Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) farmers cooperative who use the "PET Dairy" brand as a regional tradename for fresh and processed dairy products sold in the Southeastern United States.

^ Hunziker, Otto Frederick (March 1946) [1914]. Condensed milk and milk powder: prepared for the use of milk condenseries, dairy students and pure food departments (Sixth ed.). LaGrange, Ill: O. F. Hunziker. p. 37. Retrieved October 10, 2023. While, for several years before the organization of this company, the possibilities of producing a sterile unsweetened condensed milk were essayed in laboratory investigations by scientists, and while simultaneously with the commencement of operations of this company, several other companies also experimented on this form of condensed milk, the Helvetia Milk Condensing Company was the first organization that succeeded in producing a marketable unsweetened condensed milk that was sterile and would keep indefinitely.
^ Gellene, Denise (10 January 1995). "Pillsbury Will Add Pet Inc. to Its Larder : Deals: The $2.6-billion acquisition is the latest evidence of consolidation in the food industry". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 March 2024.

[hunziker-1] Hunziker, Otto Frederick (March 1946) [1914]. Condensed milk and milk powder: prepared for the use of milk condenseries, dairy students and pure food departments (Sixth ed.). LaGrange, Ill: O. F. Hunziker. p. 37. Retrieved October 10, 2023. While, for several years before the organization of this company, the possibilities of producing a sterile unsweetened condensed milk were essayed in laboratory investigations by scientists, and while simultaneously with the commencement of operations of this company, several other companies also experimented on this form of condensed milk, the Helvetia Milk Condensing Company was the first organization that succeeded in producing a marketable unsweetened condensed milk that was sterile and would keep indefinitely.

[2] Gellene, Denise (10 January 1995). "Pillsbury Will Add Pet Inc. to Its Larder : Deals: The $2.6-billion acquisition is the latest evidence of consolidation in the food industry". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 March 2024.

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